There and Back Again: Tales of Brotherhood Under the Mountain
by ChaosWithImagination
Summary: A series of short tales and drabbles of brotherhood between the dwarves and their burglar.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT

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Colours: Part 1

Kili and Fili

If you asked Fili what colour Kili was, he would say without hesitation; the kind of blue the sky is just as the sunlight meets the dark of night. The kind of blue that makes one just stop, stare and keep staring. The kind of blue that gives you hope because it signals the ending of dark times and coming of good ones. The kind of blue that makes you smile and makes your fear of night seem far away. The kind of blue that just makes you feel _good_.

If you asked Kili what colour Fili was he would smile with a farway look in his dark eyes and say; gold. But not the gold of gold itself. The gold of new morning sunlight shooting through trees. The kind of gold that gives you courage to face the day ahead. The gold that you see on a bird feathers; living and wonderful. That kind of gold, that makes you appreciate life and embrace it. The kind of gold that makes you hold on no matter how tough things get. The kind of gold that makes you feel warm, loved and protected.

And if you asked Fili what his favourite colour was; he would say "dawn meets night blue."

And if you asked Kili what his favorite colour was; he would say "new morning gold."


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT

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Dwalin and Balin

If you asked Balin what colour Dwalin was he would say steel. That silvery metallic colour that reflects both the outer and inner qualities of a man so clearly that one cannot hide from it. That colour that stains so easily with other colors that one can forget what colour it originally was until someone comes along that is caring enough to take time to clean off the other colours and see the true colour underneath. That colour that gets tarnished sometimes so badly that it can never return to what it was before, but that does not take away the beauty of that colour of steel; it only makes you respect it more.

If you asked Dwalin what colour Balin was he would say; white. That colour that is made up of all others and carries all others within itself. The colour that one can draw infinite colours from yet still remain itself. The colour that represents all that is right and good in the world. The colour that represents life after grief and pain. That colour that when you look at it you can draw strength from and hope is renewed in your soul. That colour that lingers on before your eyes ever after it is gone and remains a strong memory for the rest of your life.

And if you asked Balin what was his favourite colour; he would laugh and say he cares only for books and the sight of good steel.

And if you asked Dwalin what his favourite colour; he would grow gruff and say he didn't have one; because after all, white was all the colours wasn't it?


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT

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Thorin and Frerin

There was no colour to describe Frerin, Thorin would say. If there was a colour for light and life; then that was it. If there was a colour to describe the joy that Frerin brought with just one dazzling smile; then that was it. If there was a colour to describe the determination and heart of courage that burned within him; then that was it. If there was a colour to describe the forcefulness of his anger and then tenderness of his caring love; then that was it. If there was a colour to describe the way he could change the most desperate of situations in one that would make you feel almost giddy with happiness, then that was it. But there was no colour that could describe Frerin and there never would be.

There was only one time in Thorin's memory that he ever asked Frerin what his favorite colour was. His younger brother had come home from school in a awful sulk and would not eat, drink or talk at all. Thorin had been worried about him and after hours of coaxing and one sided conversations, Frerin had rewarded him with a dramatic sigh. Thorin had then asked him what happened. Frerin had replied that he had gotten laughed at and didn't like it. Thorin had asked what did he get laughed at about. Frerin had replied that they laughed at what his favorite colour was. Thorin then had asked him what his favorite colour was. Frerin had turned to him, given him one of his dazzling smiled and replied, "You."


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT

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It was common knowledge that Kili braided Fili's hair; moustache and all. From the time Kili could close his tiny fingers into a fist, they were tangled in the warm golden stands that hung like a halo about Fili's head. Then as he grew older, Kili took comfort in braiding Fili's hair. When he was scared in the dark, he braided Fili's hair. When he felt nervous; he braided Fili's hair. When he needed to feel safe, he braided Fili's hair. As a result Fili had the neatest kept braids in the entire company and possibly the whole of Erebor.

It was common knowledge that Fili could not braid hair to save his life. Sure he could swing a sword, flick an axe with amazing power and throw a knife with deadly accuracy. But when he took those strands between his fingers, he suddenly became extremely clumsy and the braids ended up looking like he just wrapped the locks of hair together quickly and hoped for the best.

It was less common knowledge that Kili would not let anyone else braid his hair except Fili. Everyone just thought that Kili had that kind of hair simply would never stay in a braid. Or maybe because he was so vibrant that his hair just kept loosing. But that wasn't true. Kili's hair looked amazing in braids and held better than even Thorin's. But Kili wouldn't let anyone but Fili braid his hair. No one knew of the long hours that Fili sat doing his best to braid his brother's hair, loosing and re-plaiting over and over until his hands were tired and his fingers felt like they could not move again. And each time the braids looked the same; like just messy tangled stands thrown together haphazardly. And each time Kili would either stand in front the mirror or hold the braids up to the light and proclaim them perfect.


	5. Christmas Chapter

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT

**A Christmas chapter for happy feels for the season. :) Enjoy**

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Nori, Dori and Ori.

Nori was hardly ever home and Dori and Ori never got used to it. Oh they tried to pretend that they didn't worry about him, but they knew that they were lying to themselves. The worst time that they missed him was at Christmas. Ori would be cooking and thinking if Nori was getting enough to eat wherever he was. Dori would be buying and sewing clothes and wondering if Nori was warm wherever he was. Christmas was about family and the Ri family was not together, therefore the oldest and youngest member always felt out of sorts around this holiday.

Christmas Even, Dori put their gifts in a pile in front of the fire. Ori chocked back some tears when they placed Nori's with theirs. He and Dori shared a look then went to eat, with one plate sitting in front of an empty chair. Then their brewed tea and sat in their chairs, with their backs towards the door and stubborn hope in their hearts. The clock stuck twelve and Ori let out a smothered sob and strode quickly to his room. Dori sighed and refused to curse Nori. Instead he said a prayer to Mahal for his brother's safety and went to bed.

Ori woke first. He sighed and lay in bed for moment trying to conjure a happy feeling in the heart. He managed a small smile when the fact that Nori didn't come home struck him again. He covered his mouth to smother his sob when he heard a similar sound in the next room. He took deep breaths in time with Dori own breaths then they both exited the rooms at the same time. He caught sight of Dori red rimmed eyes and then they were both hugging. They both walked in silence to the fireplace and stopped with open mouths. Nori lay curled up in front of the gift pile with sting wound up in his hair and two poorly wrapped gifts next to the pile. Dori and Ori shared a look before they jumped onto Nori and smothered him with hugs and kisses. He let out a yelp at first then placed two solid kisses on their foreheads. And for once the table had three full plates.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT

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Memories: Kili and Fili

If you asked Kili what the best memory of Fili he had he would for once grow serious. It has been a terrible day for him, there had been endless teasing from the other children about his skill in the bow, which was not a traditional dwarf weapon and of course his lack of beard. He had had enough and had thrown down his weapons and was about to head over to lay into them. Fili had stopped him and told him to not worry about it because they were not worth anything. Kili had let it go and when he had turned the leader had flung his wooden sword at him and it had hit Kili square in the back of his head. He felt Fili catch him and as Fili pulled him to his chest he could feel Fili's heart racing. But Fili was breathing calmly. Fili had set Kili down carefully and before Kili knew what was happening, Fili had picked up the sword and stalked over to the boy. In five strokes the boy was on the ground with his nose busted and four large welts on his body. Then Fili had flung the sword down, picked Kili and took him home. When they were put to bed, Kili had crawled into Fili's bed and thanked him. Fili had told him to never thank him again for protecting him. "I am your brother," Fili had said, "And I love you. I will never let the ones I love get hurt when I am there." "Not ever?" Kili had asked. "Not ever," Fili said. And there Kili would smile from his reminiscence. "And he has never failed me," he would say.

If you asked Fili what the best memory of Kili he had, he would turn to look at his brother and then say, "This one."


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT

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Memories: Bofur and Bombur

Bofur was forgetful. It wasn't the kind of forgetful that everyone had. He was forgetful in the way that as he grew older, his earlier memories simply disappeared. At first it never bothered him. But when he realized that forgot the faces of his mother and father and was having trouble to even remember their names, it became serious. At first he would tell no one but Bombur after weeks of coaxing made him tell. They had sat in silence after with nothing said between them. The next day when Bofur came home the table was dressed for a feast. Bombur sat him down in a chair and stood beside him. Then Bombur served one dish at a time. And with each dish he told him everything he could remember about their parents. By the time the meal was done, Bofur not only had a full stomach but a memory filled mind. And it became a habit. Certain meals were linked to certain memories and when Bofur realized that he had forgotten something he would ask for the meal that went with it in order to remember.

Bofur however could only cook one thing really. The famous Bofur Stew. He designed it when it occurred to him that one day he might forget his brother. And while he cooked it, he muttered to himself everything he could remember about Bombur. And when he tasted it in the end, it cemented the memories. Needless of say, that the famous Bofur Stew was one of Bombur's favourite dishes.


	8. Chapter 8

Just knowing.

Dwalin and Balin

I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT

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Dwalin and Balin

If you looked at Dwalin and Balin together you would never see the resemblance. You would never know they were brothers. They hardly spoke to each other. They hardly looked at each other. They never stood together, ate together or trained together. And when they did trade words; it was usually some sort of hidden insult or a call to arms. There was nothing really that singled them out as being brothers.

Yet if you asked Dwalin what Balin was wearing, he could tell you right down to the colour of his socks.

If you asked Balin what arrangement of weapons Dwalin had today, he could tell you right down the however amount of hidden knives that Dwalin had on his person and he was always right.

If you asked Dwalin where Balin was, he didn't need to turn to find him. He would just point and Balin would be there.

If you asked Balin where Dwalin was, he would give you precise directions and tell you why he was standing in whatever position he was standing in, without so much as a glance in his direction.

Because to Balin and Dwalin, being brothers didn't mean always being together. They knew that they had each other's back. They know that they loved each other. They knew that the other cared. And if you asked how did they know.

They would each reply, "I just do."


	9. Chapter 9

I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT

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Fili and Kili

Fili and Kili were inseparable. One look at them and you knew that they loved each other in a way so deep and so sure that one could not ever put words to it. They were like two sides of one coin, two halves of one mind. Fili could plan out anything for anything but Kili was the one that could get everyone to really follow through with it. Fili could strategize in any battle situation and had that ability to know where to place who to get the best advantage but Kili was the one that would keep everyone's courage and morale up. Fili held respect and loyalty while Kili held love and willing hearts.

When Kili and Fili did have to leave each other's sides it was as if they were still connected to each other.

If you asked Fili what Kili was doing, he could tell you exactly what and was always right.

If you asked Kili what Fili was thinking of at that moment he would laugh and list out several things then look up to the sky, cock his head to one side and then choose one of the answers from before and he would be right.

They knew each other inside out and loved each other more than that. And what was more important was that they didn't need to say it or show it anymore than they did. But every once in a while Kili would cuddle up next to Fili and whisper, "I love you Brother." And Fili would put his arm around his kin and rest his head on that dark one and whisper back, "I love you too Brother."


	10. Chapter 10

I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT

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Thorin and Frerin

There was one memory of Frerin that Thorin barely talked about but held it close to his heart. It was after that fateful battle that claimed his younger brother's life and killed something deep inside him that never got fixed again. He had been running over the battle field calling for Frerin when he had seen a hand lift weakly. He had dropped to his knees beside his brother and pulled him into his arms. The grief in his chest had been to great that he could not even speak. And Frerin passed into Mahal's halls without a word passed between them. Yet to Thorin that was one of the sweetest moments of his life. Because in his dying seconds, Frerin had reached up and tugged on Thorin's braids; their age old sign to say 'I love you' and Thorin had stroked back the stray locks on Frerin's face in reply to his brother's unsaid words; 'I love you.'

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Well this is the end of this short fanfiction. I hope that you all enjoyed it!

Thank you for all the reviews!

I love you guys!


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